Homemade Pizza

There is something about homemade pizza that gives kids a sense of accomplishment like no other.  Maybe it makes them feel like since they can do that they could open their own pizzeria.  I love getting their help and they have gotten pretty good at it.  We are having pizza a whopping four times this month, its that good.  


I make the dough from scratch, its easy and you can too.  I used to make the sauce but I have since given in to store bought.  I buy the bread flour, pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni at Sam's.  One giant sized can of pizza sauce will make about 24 pizzas.  So I divide it up into sandwich bags and freeze it flat stacks.  On pizza day I just pull it out and put it on the counter to thaw.  Easy peasy.  If I have some tomatoes that have lost their salad appeal I will cut them up, put them in a sauce pan with some garlic, onion and oregano and let them stew until tender and puree them in the food processor.  So if you want a fresh sauce just wing it, its way easier than you would think.  


I use a super easy, delicious recipe I found on Pinterest, the original recipe can be found at Lauren's Latest.  It can be made ahead and frozen or you can make it fresh about 2 hours before dinner.  I like mine to have some kick to it so I also add some spices to the dough.


Here is the recipe with my modifications:


Basic Pizza Dough
yield: 2-12 inch pizzas, approximately 1 lb. of dough

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey {or sugar}
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive and 1 tbsp of Pizza Seasoning, oregano, garlic or Italian seasoning.  Add it to the oil and let the oil absorb the flavors.  It will also help to incorporate the spices evenly.
3 cups bread flour {give or take 1/2 cup…depending on the heat & humidity} 

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Let it for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam.  Pour in salt, oil and spices and half the flour and mix.

Once flour is incorporated, start adding the rest of the flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it it doesn’t stick to your hands.


Once you reach this stage its time to knead it for 10 minutes.  Set the timer and work out any frustration!  If you have a stand mixer you can use that for 6 minutes.  The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. And the bowl should be clean.  This part always stresses me out because at first it looks like you have messed up and you have a big pile of nothing.  Keep kneading and it will all work out!


Lightly grease the bowl & the dough so it doesn’t dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours. That’s it!  If you want to freeze the dough now, divide it into two round discs and cover completely with saran wrap.  Make sure there are no air bubbles.  Now you can put it in the refrigerator the night before and you'll be good to go!


Now for baking, preheat you oven to 500 degrees.  You will need to divide the dough and shape it into two pizzas, or a pizza and cheesy sticks.  I used to have a problem with the bottom getting done well in the middle.  So now I put the shaped dough in the oven for 3-5 minutes before I add any topping.  Then I pull it out and carefully flip it over. This way the bottom is sure to be done and the toppings don't get overdone.  Be sure to let it cool a bit if the kids are going to add the toppings.  This is their favorite thing.  Probably why they like making pizza so much!  Bake in a 500 degree oven approximately 9-11 minutes.  Watch it well and then enjoy.  It is so good!

Olives, Green Peppers, Fresh tomatoes, Pepperoni and Three Cheese, this is one of their previous ones.

Who doesn't put pepperoni on their face?

Ellie puts her pepperoni on top.

Ethan put his under the cheese and then some extra on top for good measure.

Its magical watching YOUR pizza bake.  And yes Regan is in her undies, with  marker all over her.  We're potty training and color training too apparently!

Oh my goodness this is Ethan's.

Here is Ellie's.  I totally brushed garlic butter all over the crust.  It was so good!!!

This was part 3 of the Whats for Dinner series.  You might also like:


What's for Dinner? Part 1
What's for Dinner? Part 2
What's for Dinner? Part 4